Amazon.co.uk Review
Lyra's life is already sufficiently interesting for a novel before she eavesdrops on a presentation by her uncle Lord Asriel to his colleagues in the Jordan College faculty, Oxford. The college, famed for its leadership in experimental theology, is funding Lord Asriel's research into the heretical possibility of the existence of worlds unlike Lyra's own, where everyone is born with a familiar animal companion, magic of a kind works, the Tartars are threatening to overrun Muscovy, and the Pope is a puritanical Protestant. Set in an England familiar and strange, Philip Pullman's lively, taut story is a must-read and re-read for fantasy lovers of all ages. The world-building is outstanding, from the subtle hints of the 1898 Tokay to odd quirks of language to the panserbjorne, while determined, clever Lyra is strongly reminiscent of Joan Aiken's Dido Twite.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
When Lyra's friend Roger disappears, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, set out to find him. They travel to the ice kingdoms of the North, where armoured bears rule and witch-queens fly through frozen skies. Lyra possesses a device that will aid their quest - ifshe can decipher its mysterious messages. But it knows terrifyingsecrets about their journey, and the dangers that await them in worlds far beyond their own.